


Beating Heart

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Keith (Voltron), Allura has a Cousin, Altean Keith (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Things Keep Happening To Keith, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Galra Keith (Voltron), Implied/Referenced Sex, Keith-Centric, Lotor MIGHT make an appearance, Obsession, Slow Burn, Stalker, Thace is not Keith's Father, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 14:12:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8252057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Keith Kogane has a past like no other, a past that can destroy him.





	1. Part One

Part One

 

"She loved him and he loved her,  ~~and it was that simple~~ , but it wasn't that simple."


	2. Sweet Nights

 

The two met everyday at the Goldritch Sapling in Vickor, a town dedicated to celebrating the gods of the L’Ban.  At the time the planet, Plavlos, was neutral to the war between Altea and the Galra Empire, making it the ideal place for Nolwenn and Soren.

Their love was forbidden in every way. Soren was a Galra, a soldier, and he was scarred and angry. Nolwenn was a Princess of Altea and was beautiful and alone. But the two complemented each other well and their love was strong.

Nolwenn had cream colored skin, hair the color of a raven’s wings, and eyes the color of forest moss. While Soren had purple fur, eyes that glowed gold like the Goldritch Sapling, he had ears like a cat and soft fur.

The two’s love affair was nothing more than attraction and curiosity at first before growing and twisting until  it almost became unbearable to be apa

Allura had seen the change in her cousin, how she disappeared for long hours each  day and when she was not off to who knows where, she seemed sad, depressed even. But she knew not to interfere wIth Nolwenn, perhaps it was that she had a lover she longed to be with. That, of course, was the most probable of situations, but Allura did not see who it could be. Nolwenn turned her nose up at every potential suitor, Altean or not, it did not matter if the suitor was male or female, she never gave any suitor the time of day.

Before the attack that destroyed Altea, Nolwenn and Soren shared one sweet nice together. This event would ultimately ruin Nolwenn.

The next morning Nolwenn and Soren said goodbye, unknowingly, for the last time. Nolwenn returned  to Altea to see a peaceful morning. Soren returned to his ship to hear that he would help in the destruction of Altea.


	3. It's Not Personal

The attack came in the mid afternoon while Nolwenn was supposed to be sitting in the ‘Dining Hall’ of the Castle of Lions as she read a book about battle strategy. She prefered to read out here, rather than  in the suffocating isolation that was her bedroom.

“Nolwenn,” Allura said. “Father wants to see you.” Nolwenn nodded and followed Allura to where the king of Altea stood.

“Nolwenn,” Alfor smiled. “I heard of you engagement to Xanthos, and I’d like to congratulate you.”

Nolwenn was in shock, she’d never agreed to marry anyone, especially not  _ Xanthos _ . “Thank you, Uncle. Now if you excuse me, I must go talk to my  _ fiance _ .” She said, painfully. Alfor noticed her discomfort and let her go.

Once she had tracked Xanthos down, she pulled him into a side room. “I see you have found me, my love.” Xanthos said, smiling cruelly.

“What do you think you are doing, publically declaring a union I did not agree to?” Nolwenn hissed, trying not to shout.

“What do you think you are doing, princess?” He replied, before Nolwenn could voice her confusion, he added. “I saw you at the Goldritch in Vickor, with a  _ Galra _ .”

“I’m just trying to protect you.” He frowned and reached to caress her cheek. “Though, it’s no surprise that he fell in love with you, with looks like yours even Zarkon would fall in love with you.”

Nolwenn slapped his hand away. “Pig,” Nolwenn spatted, “go ahead and tell, it would be better than marrying you.”

“I will,” Xanthos said, but before he left, Nolwenn said.

“But who are they going to believe? The daughter of King Alfor’s sister, who so tradically died, or a second rate pilot who has a tendancy for lying. But maybe, you’re right, who believe me?”   
Xanthos shot Nolwenn a glare, before the ground rumble at the sound of weapons  fire.


	4. Why Must Love End This Way?

Nolwenn rushed out of side room, followed by Xanthos. Nolwenn was intent on finding her family, she had to know if they were dead or alive, Xanthos, he was going into the battle to fight tooth and nail in hopes of becoming a war hero. But Xanthos was a fool, not realising the reality of the situation. He did not realise he would more than likely die out there, but Nolwenn did not say anything out of spite.

Nolwenn knew what would happen to Xanthos, but she didn’t care. He had touched her and insinuated things, that would make anyone uncomfortable

She rushed up several floors where she had last seen her family, they were not there, but she wasn’t alone as two Galra soldiers were there.

The two were bickering about something, before seeing Nolwenn. She registered in the back of her mind that one of them was Soren, but she was more focused on the other who held a blaster aimed directly at her. “Quiznak,” she said. The two rivaled each other in almost every way, where Soren was lean, the other was bulky, where Soren held a knife, the other held a blaster.

“A princess shouldn’t curse,” the one with the blaster sneered, Nolwenn didn’t respond.

“You’ll be helping us now, Princess.” Soren said, avoiding eye contact.  _ Had he known? Was he only using  me for the benefit of the Galra Empire? _ Nolwenn questioned, but she refused to give in to fear.

Even still, she prayed to Annora, the goddess of honorable death, for her coming death. Nolwenn had prayed to Annora since the first time she went to Plavlos when she was had only been only five years old.

“I’d rather not help such brutes, but if it postpones my death then I shall help you.” She said, turning her nose up at the two. She conjured the image of Celestia, the cunning queen of Plavlos and it’s moons, the two had met only once but even then she had wished for herself to grow in her image, however foolish that was.

Nolwenn was no fool, she was aware Plavlos was only safe because Celestia was bedding one of Zarkon’s most trusted Druids. She also knew that their neutrality was a front as Celestia was in favor of the Galra in winning the war, Celestia may have been beautiful, cunning, and smart but she was weak and easily swayed. That was the only part of Celestia that Nolwenn didn’t admire.

Soren looked at her in shock at her words, he was confused; this was not the Nolwenn whose touch he had become so used to, she was different, this was a part of her he didn’t recognize. He could feel something was wrong with her and it was not overwhelming fear, in actuality she seemed rather calm. There was something off about her quintessence, but he couldn’t figure what was wrong. Thaknol looked about to attack Nolwenn for her pretentiousness, but instead demanded, “Open a communication channel to Zarkon.”

Nolwenn slightly raised her eyebrows, as if she expected the demand. She walked into the center of the room and thousands of constellations and solar systems appeared around him. “Open a communications channel with Zarkon.” Her voice was as clear as a bell as she drawled out the words, her voice gave no indication of her caring about her people were being slaughtered just outside the castle.

When Zarkon’s face appeared just in front of her, she did not jump or flinch, instead she looked at Zarkon only with mild interest, no hatred or fear was displayed on her face, giving her the appearance of a blank slate. “I see you have one of the princesses on our side,” Zarkon observed as he looked at Nolwenn with lust in his eyes. If it were for power or sex, Nolwenn didn’t know.

“I’m not on your side, I am just seeing how this plays out,” Nolwenn said in reply.

Then the image of Zarkon’s face was replaced not entirely by weapons fire, through it she could see Allura, Coran, and King Alfor. She could hear Zarkon screaming orders at Soren and the other, so she said, “Close communications channel.” Effectively getting rid of Zarkon, only before she was hit by the bulky Galra. That’s when everything went black. 

✩

The next thing Nolwenn knew was that she was falling, but then she was caught. She looked up to thank whomever had caught her, but the words died in her throat as she realised that that man who had caught was a Galra. She scrambled back, pulling out the knife she kept hidden in her dress. “Stay back!” She nearly shouted, the Galra took a step back. “You’re just a straggler, aren’t you?” Nolwenn asked after some minutes had past.

“A straggler of what?” The Galra asked as he looked at her inquisitively.

“The attack? You know the one that the Galra  planned against Altea.” She became to grow concerned, how could he not know of the attack?

“That attack? That took place ten thousand years ago.” the Galra said, he seemed honest but Nolwenn would never trust a Galra again.

“You spew lies,” Nolwenn replied. The Galra was staring at Allura and Coran who hadn’t come out of stasis.

“Who are they?” The Galra asked, his curiosity piqued.

“The woman is Princess Allura, heir to King Alfor. The man is Coran, he was the advisor to the royal family.”

“And who are you?” The Galra asked. Nolwenn decided he asked too many questions, why she answered them was a mystery.

“I am Princess Nolwenn of Altea, niece to King Alfor.” she said. “Though I’m not technically a royal, as my mother was King Aldor’s adopted sister.  And you are?”

“I’m Thace and I’m little more than a scout for the Empire.”

The pair continued to talk, asking each other questions and answering them. Then Nolwenn said, “I need you to take me to the habitable farthest planet from Galra Empire.” When Thace asked why, Nolwenn answered with “I’m pregnant and my child will not become a slave to the Galra Empire.”


	5. A Mother's Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!
> 
> Last chapter before part two! which is when Keith's pov begins!
> 
> also takes place five earth years after the last chapter

 

Thace stayed with Nolwenn for sometime after he brought her to Earth, a world far beyond the Galra Empire. It had surprised her to see life-forms so similar to Alteans. Once she had thought about surviving Alteans living here by using  their cameleon ability to lessen the point of their ear and taking away the marks under their eyes, but had since dismissed the thought as she hadn’t been aware of this part of space and neither had other Alteans.

  
The Earth was home to kind creatures, but also monsters. The people of this world were more often than not kind and noble, but occasionally they harbored murderous intent. They killed others of their species for no reason other than the fact that they disliked them or they were there.

  
There were also wars fought for land, this world was divided much liked Altea was in its infancy. Alteans were, of course, warriors before anything else. Alteans still carried their warrior instinct until Altea was destroyed, it being beneficial with the war.

  
Kalaeith, or Keith to the humans, looked human using his camelion ability to change much like Nolwenn. Sometimes through, he would lose control and transform into a mix of Galra and Altean but the Galra genes prevailed leaving him purple fur, large ears on top of his head and gold eyes with no screlia or pupil. He did have the marks under his eyes, they were red. A select few Alteans had them in that color, Nolwenn had olive (a food on this planet) green marks like her mother.

  
Long before the reign of King Alfor, the color of your marks determined your place in life. Blue or pink meant you were important, usually royalty and their advisors. Red meant warriors, true warriors who won while battles by themselves. Yellow often meant healers, the ones with these marks were often revered as they were so rare. Green was scholars, often helping the king and moving the planet forward technology wise. Black was well nobody was quite sure what it meant, they were godlike, the greatest queen and king in Altean history had them, never to appear again.

  
Nolwenn told these stories to Kalaeith and Thace watching them brighten as she described Queen Aurembiax and King Manuka and all of their achievements.

  
“Queen Aurembiax was beautiful, her eyes were purple and she had black hair and almond shaped eyes, but the most beautiful thing about her was her brain. She was often described as the smartest Altean to ever live, only Rin, the legendary scholar, behind her.

  
King Manuka was loyal and kind, so kind in fact that he couldn't stand to fight Troyards while Queen Aurembiax charged into battle. You see this was their relationship, King Manuka was the peace keeper and the diplomat while Queen Aurembiax was the strategist and the warrior. His legendary kindness was said to be his undoing letting Ara, the Troyard spy, to live. Ara  
later assassinated King Manuka, which would cause his most painful death.

  
Queen Aurembiax hunted him down and dove his head through a pike for King Manuka’s death. She later put Ara’s head outside the castle as a warning for those who thought war with Alteans was a good idea.” Nolwenn told to Thace and Kalaeith, they sat by the fireplace in their little home. Kalaeith was leaning against Thace, his five year old body tired from listening to stories for so long.

  
“What happened to Queen Aurembiax?” asked Thace who was listening intently to Nolwenn, captivated by the story.

  
“She died in battle while saving millions of lives, her sons and daughter spreading her blood line. The eldest ruled for a long time before he was dethroned and the new dynasty began. I am actually descended from Queen Aurembiax’s fourth son, but hardly anyone knew it.” Nolwenn answered before yawning and standing. “We should go to bed, shouldn't we?”

  
Thace nodded, picking up Kalaeith who leaned heavily on Thace, barely staying awake. Nolwenn and Thace put Kalaeith to bed in his little room before going to their room and falling asleep.

  
✩

  
Thace started leaving more and more, helping the Resistance and trying to worm his way out of his duties as a soldier of the Galra Empire.

  
Kalaeith began to wonder where Thace was, who had become his father. Nolwenn didn't have the heart to tell him she didn't know so she said “Something important” which it was but she too had begun to think of Kalaeith as their son, not Soren and hers.

  
“Mommy?” Kalaeith asked, climbing into Nolwenn’s bed. The large bed was big enough to hold the small family but Thace and Nolwenn thought it best for him to have his own room.

  
Nolwenn looked over at her son, smiling. Thace and Kalaeith were all she had, all that made her happy. “What is it, sweetheart?” She asked, picking up the pet names she'd heard other mothers call their children.

  
Kalaeith was silent for a second, “What if Daddy never comes home?” he asked, fear seeping through his voice.

  
Nolwenn hugged Kalaeith to her chest, “Don't worry, he will come back to us. I promise.” she whispered, hoping that it wouldn't become a broken promise.

  
They stay like that for a while, hugging each other, before they eventually fell asleep.

  
Nolwenn woke up to find Kalaeith asleep beside her, she got out of bed careful not to wake him. She went into the small kitchen that overlooked the sea, they lived in a small beach town that half the population only inhabited in the summer months.

  
Nolwenn began to prepare scrambled eggs, Kalaeith’s favorite. Nolwenn was glad when she found out he liked the food because it was easy to make and didn't take very long.

  
Nolwenn put the scrambled eggs onto two plates and put them on the island before going to wake Kalaeith.

  
Rentering her room, Nolwenn went over to the bed and gently shook Kalaeith awake. He groaned but sat up after Nolwenn said breakfast was ready.

  
They walked back out into their kitchen that smelled of the sea. They sat down at the island (Nolwenn had to lift Kalaeith up into the seat) and Kalaeith began to devour his food while Nolwenn ate slower.

  
Once they were finished, Nolwenn helped change Kalaeith out of his rocket ship pajamas and into a Star Wars t-shirt, jeans, small converse shoes.

  
Nolwenn put up her hair into a ponytail and put on jeans, a plaid button up, and some black flats.

  
Nolwenn then loaded Kalaeith up into his car seat, buckling him up and everything. She then got into the driver's seat and buckled herself up.

  
They began the gen minute drive to the bookstore Nolwenn worked at, the owner was generous enough to let her bring Kalaeith, Keith to her, and let him color or Nolwenn would read books to him when there were no customers.

  
Nolwenn was a good driver, but it had snowed the previous night and other people weren't as good of drivers.

  
A gray truck drove over black ice and began to spiral out of control, heading straight for Nolwenn’s minivan.

  
Nolwenn tried to move out of the way but couldn't and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also which person do you think Keith should end up which? I'm still figuring it out and it would help to know you're input?


	6. Part Two

Part Two

 

"If I find in myself which no experience in this world can satisfy,

the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

C.S. Lewis


	7. Legacy

When Keith was five years old, he was left without a mother and a father that had disappeared without a trace. He was left alone and scared, an orphan on a world that didn’t belong to him much like every other planet in the universe.

Avery (the mean woman from Social Services) had told him he would be put in foster care and hopefully adopted (she had said that with malice in her voice). Keith had nodded silently, wishing for his father to arrive and sweep him up into his arm and return to their home, but his mother said he would be on a particularly long mission this time and wouldn’t be back for sometime.

As Keith got older, he moved from foster home to foster home, but they always sent him back (there was sign of his father, or Thace as s Keith started calling him). One particular foster home, he was sent back because ‘we can’t deal with a child as emotionally inept as Keith Kogane’. In the foster home after that one, he met Takashi Shirogane or Shiro to his friends.

The two became close friends, but then Shiro went to the Garrison and Keith was sent back. After that Keith applied for a scholarship at the Garrison which here received, them being impressed with his skill in flying.

Shiro graduated soon after and was quickly praised for his strengths and talents, he was soon awarded by getting to pilot the Kerberos Mission. His crewmates were the Holts, a son and father team.

Keith had met the son, Matt, briefly once as he was also a friend of Shiro’s, Keith had liked Matt well enough, but he was kind of odd. 

A few months later, the Kerberos Mission was declared lost and the crew were declared dead because of pilot error which Keith wholeheartedly dismissed as the wrong cause. Shiro was too good of a pilot to have crashed, that Keith knew.

After Shiro was declared dead, Keith became reckless. Feeling hopeless in his quest to see his friend again, he no longer excelled in his classes and he got into fights. The higher-ups were angry with him, but hesitant to let him go. But when he got into more fights, more than what normally took for someone to get expelled, they had enough and cut him loose.

Keith traveled around for a bit, because he felt that was what he was meant to do; travel, but he wasn’t so sure he was supposed to travel on Earth, rather through the stars. From town to town, he met interesting people, but never stayed long enough to get to know them.

Keith found his way back to the Garrison, but was not attending as a student but was actually living in the desert near the Garrison. There was a small shack that Keith was currently staying in, there was something that drew him to the desert.

While in the desert, Keith thought about his mother a lot, he barely remembered her smile or her laugh, the color of her eyes would be a mystery to him if Thace hadn't asked what color they were.

His mother’s funeral, however, he remembered vividly. Keith remembered he insisted that she be dressed in silver, the ceremonial color royals were dressed in at death. She looked peaceful, Keith remembered thinking. He had been sad than angry, and Keith was never sure he had gotten over that anger.

The desert was lonely, but not in a comforting sort of way that sometimes came with being alone and free of judgement rather it was the type of loneliness that people associated with space, deafening and forever.

The desert was vast, impossible to cover by himself, but nevertheless Keith was determined to find the thing he was drawn to. Keith ponder over the fact that it could be alien, why else would it call to him?

Keith grew frustrated with his quest, but not long after he found carvings of lions. They were cave carvings, obviously old but Keith wasn't sure  _ how  _ old.

Keith left the cave, only to return later with a camera. He made sure to take pictures of every carvings he could find and after that, there was only one thing he could do; research.

After weeks of researching the caves, he found absolutely nothing. It frustrated him more than anything, really. Here was this amazing mystery that had no answers to it, he looked for answers anywhere he could and on one such night something fell from the sky.

He ran to his hoverbike and raced to where it fell as fast as it could, using small homemade bombs he created when he was bored to distract the Garrison officials or whoever they were. The alien that Garrison was hiding turned out to be Shiro, alive and unconscious.

He began to gather Shiro, hoping to take him to his bike without incident, but unfortunately that’s when he appeared. Lance, who Keith had forgotten the name of because he had never really talked to Lance and whatever conversations they did have weren’t very memorable, grabbed the other half of Shiro.

Lance got angry at him for not remembering him, but Keith honestly couldn’t care less. They  piled onto Keith’s bike after that which obviously was not meant to carry so many people. It was a bumpy ride, Lance criticized his driving skills, thinking Keith would kill them but Keith had very much been in control of the situation.

They arrived at the shack, putting Shiro down onto Keith’s makeshift bed. “This is your place?” Lance asked, surprised. Where did Lance thought he lived? But nevertheless, Keith nodded silently.

Lance started to ramble about something Keith didn’t care to listen to, making him walk away, ignoring Lance’s offended “Hey!”

A few hours later, Shiro woke up. He was confused and panicky but when he saw a familiar face, also known as Keith, he calmed down. He wanted to go outside to see the sky again, to remind him that he really was back on Earth.

Shiro and Keith stood outside for a time, mostly silent but sometimes talking to each other.

Everything went downhill when he was asked about his corkboard and he explained that there were carvings of lions out in a cave and some other stuff.

They hiked out to where the cave was and where Lance touched one of the cravings, they all glowed  _ blue _ . Then the ground caved in and they fell into an underground pond in front of a giant robotic, blue lion with a force field around it.

Long story short, when Lance touched the force field it dissipated,allowing them to go inside it. But once they did that, the lion started flying, trying to bring them to the Castle of Lions but a Galra ship interfered, trying to steal the lion.

Lance, however, figured out how to use the lasers and cut a hole through the ship, leaving it to crash. They went off into space, but reached Kerberos in record time and then the Lion opened a wormhole, stranding them in space.  The Lion then went to Arus, where the Castle of Lions was located, bringing them as the new Paladins of Voltron. They didn’t know how crazy their lives would become as they ascended the steps into the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in the next chapter, things will really begin


	8. The Dark Planet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go south for Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My room is literally so cold, I had to wear gloves when writing this. And if it helps I imagined Madame Vastra from Doctor Who as what P'taul and S'tel look like. They are speaking Galran in this, nothing else except for maybe P'taul who knows what they're doing.

After an _amazing_ fight with Zarkon himself, the Red Lion was damaged and had flown through a corrupted wormhole before being spat out. The Red Lion went hurtling through space, set on a planet that was completely black but was glowing a molten red. Red’s sensors that stilled worked told him that the planet was approximately 2,012 degrees Fahrenheit (1,100 degrees Celsius), definitely not survivable.

Keith watched desperately, trying to level out Red to make the crash a bit more bearable. Red becomes a fireball in the atmosphere of the planet, the surface rushing towards them.

When Red hit the ground, she hit it hard. Skidding for what seemed like miles, she finally stopped when she hits the bottom of the cliff, Keith’s head is thrown back and Keith reached up and touches his forehead and when he looks at his fingers to see blood, _perfect_.

Keith stands, assessing his injuries. His forehead is bleeding and _at least_ three of his ribs were broken. His arms hurt, they was very clearly bruised and he could feel one blooming on his leg. Groaning, Keith fell back into his chair, ignoring the pain that spiked as he did so.

Without much else to do, Keith stared out the view screen. The air was heavy with fog (was it fog?), and he watched as scorpion-like creatures scuttle around.

Suddenly, a creature that had scales (Keith was sure that they were scales) that were a dark blue (colored like the TARDIS) and was standing outside Red, examining her. The creature makes a _hiss-pop_ noise, as if that were their language.

They were wearing long robes, colored yellow and silver, that reached their feet. They lifted up their hand and knocked onto the maw of the Lion. “ _Hello_?” They asked in a language Keith recognized as Galran, why he could understand it he didn’t know or remember.

Red opens her maw, seeing this alien as an ally. Keith wasn’t sure how the heat from outside didn’t come in, but he figured it was just the Lion so he ignored it. They enter, seeing Keith and hurrying over. “ _Where are you hurt_?” They asked, their breath hot against his cheek.

Suppressing the urge to say ‘All over’, “ _My ribs,_ uh _my arms and legs._ ” He said in Galran, wincing as they prodded his chest. Their slitted eyes that were the color of blood looked at Keith, it wasn’t a very nice look, in fact it looked like they were thinking about every way they could kill Keith after they skinned him alive. They make the _hiss-pop_ noise again but it sounded different, was it just a vocal tic or was it their language? Keith couldn’t figure it out, “ _I am P’tual,_ ” they say and then they smiled, showing row upon row of fangs but instead of looking like a smile it looked more like they were baring their teeth at him.

“ _I am Keith_ ,” he replied, gasping in pain as P’tual’s hand wraps around his wrist and as their claws pierce his skin. “W- _what are you doing_?” He asked, his voice wrought with pain, he watched as P’tual’s other hand roughly grabs his chin, making Keith look at them.

Those blood red eyes look at Keith in glee, making his stomach drop. “ _You would fetch a pretty price on the market_ ,” said P’tual as their hand on his chin moves to swat away his free hand before he sits on Keith’s lap and starts to growl, taking both of Keith’s hands in one of theirs, and taking the other and angling it so if he could he could strike a vital artery in Keith’s neck. “ _S’tel.”_ They growls and that’s when Keith notices there is another person in this room, a woman.

P’tual and S’tel, he guesses, are basically a color swap. Where P’tual’s scales are blue, her’s are red. Where their eyes were red, her eyes were blue. “ _Filth_ ,” S’tel snapped, a gun is in her hand that Keith had noticed before (he decides the blood loss is getting to him and that he’s bleeding in more places than one) and she is aiming it at P’tal and him. “ _Let go of the boy_.”

“ _Why would you want this W’lsair_ *?” P’tual asked, now having their claws piercing Keith’s skin as their hand is around his neck. _“He bleeds red like the lesser beings, he is no use to you.”_

S’tel settles P’tual with a furious glare, “ _He is not a W’lsair, you might think he is, but that shows your blind devotion to the old ways. We do not sell people anymore and anyone likely to buy is more likely than not W’lsair as you put it or a lesser being*, you will have betrayed the M’tar*, you will be a W’lsair yourself_.”

Finally, after what S’tel says they releases Keith, but not before a bone chilling “ _I will find you again, my love_.” Then they leave the lion entirely.

“ _I saw you crash, I’m sorry you a fanatic, they are dedicated to the M’tar and the M’tar, they will do anything for her. I was tracking them, they have multiple counts selling T’ele* on their head_ .” S’tel said apologetically, she sees his injuries and her eyes widen. “ _We must get you to a Healer’s Den._ ” She exclaims, stowing her gun in its sheath, making to help Keith up.

“ _I can’t go out there, I will die_.” Keith argued, steel in his seat. S’tel laughs, earning a questioning look from Keith, it takes her a minute to calm down.

When she does, she says, “ _People often think this planet is uninhabitable, but it is just the planet’s outer shell. It traps heat in it, but we get enough to survive_.”

Keith stands for a minute before collapsing in his seat, S’tel gives another gleeful laugh before saying, “ _It looks like I will have to carry you._ ” She swoops Keith up into her arms as if it were nothing then looks down at him, worried. “ _You weigh less than a young child_ ,” she said concerned, all laughter gone from her face.

“ _I’m fine_ ,” Keith assures her, making her leave the lion with a sudden speed. As they go to the Healer’s Den, Keith notices that S’tel is wearing the same color robes as P’tual. “ _Why are your and P’tual’s clothing the same_?” He asked, suddenly curious.

S’tel heaves a sigh, “ _P’tual and I are from the same community, we are all required to wear our community’s colors at all times. It is segregation, more undesirable people come from my community than every other, making people stray from us. Some places you cannot go if you wear yellow and silver, I have never gone to the larger cities because of this, I would be scorned and possibly killed. We mostly stick closer to home_.” Keith feels an unwanted sense of guilt flood through him, but he also knows that she doesn’t want pity, making him stay quiet.

They remain quiet for the majority of the walk.

✩

In the Red Lion, sparks are flying from the console. She is trying desperately to repair herself, but a few minor things are self-repairable. She needed Keith. Red listens as a communication comes through, “K...have... coordinates…coming…” The message is filled with static, but nevertheless she could pick up three key words.

Hopefully, they got here soon. She was still in desperate need of repairs, Keith might as well have been dying from all the blood in her, and that strange person, P’tual, followed Keith and S’tel as they went to off to find a Healer’s Den to fix Keith.

Red sends a feeling of panic to Keith, but she’s not sure if he got it. She was desperately weak and the psychic connect between Lion and Paladin was always at it’s weakest when both Paladin and Lion were hurt.  
Mentally sighing, Red decided it was best if she went through a diagnostic cycle then she would know everything that was wrong with her and it would save the little power she had. Red closed her eyes, out up her force field, and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .*W'lsair is a deregotory term for an outsider  
>  *M'tar is this race of people that I haven't named yet's god<  
> *Lesser beings are technically slaves
> 
> Is P'taul creepy? I tried to make them creepy, but I probably failed. And yes, they'll make another appearance as will S'tel and probably the Paladins, Allura and Coran will show up somewhere in the next chapter. And the reason Red opens up for P'taul is because her face recognition sensor are broken, she thought they were another Paladin. It's not that Keith couldn't figure P'tual's gender, but rather they are non binary, preferring not to be assigned a gender and they won't be the only one in this unnamed species of people, there will be more, better people.
> 
> My tumblr [yato-sola](http://yato-sola.tumblr.com/)


End file.
